Moving to Spain: A Financial Planning Guide for UK Expats
If you are planning to move to Spain, or have recently done so, you have made an excellent choice. With its rich culture, warm climate, and relaxed lifestyle, Spain offers a wonderful quality of life. It also presents opportunities to review and adapt your financial planning. Where possible, it is best to begin preparations well […]
Tax Freedom Day 2025: How Much of Your Year Goes to the Taxman?
If you’ve ever felt as though much of your working life is spent paying tax before you see any benefit for yourself, you may not be far wrong. With income tax, national insurance or social security, capital gains tax, VAT, council tax, excise duties and more, a significant proportion of income goes to the taxman […]
Retiring Abroad: The Ultimate Checklist for Planning Your Retirement
For many people, retirement abroad is a lifelong dream: a home in the sunshine, a slower pace of life, and the freedom to spend time on the hobbies and experiences you love most. But behind every dream retirement lies careful preparation. At Blacktower Financial Management, we have been helping expatriates plan and protect their wealth […]
Retirement Planning: Why Waiting Could Seriously Impact Your Retirement
For some, retirement feels a lifetime away. For others, it’s right around the corner. Yet, whether you’re 30, 50, or already considering slowing down, one truth is becoming harder to ignore: most people are not saving enough for retirement. According to the BlackRock Read on Retirement 2024 survey, 50% of UK Defined Contribution pension holders […]
How Expats Can Avoid Unnecessary UK Pension Tax With an NT Code
For many British expatriates, moving abroad represents a new chapter of life — whether that’s enjoying retirement in the Algarve, building a career in Dubai, or relocating to the United States. But while your lifestyle may change, one thing that often follows you is your UK pension. Unfortunately, thousands of expats continue to pay UK […]
Is It Time to Bring Your QROPS Back to the UK?
For many years, Qualifying Overseas Pension Schemes (QROPS) played a central role in cross-border retirement planning. They were created to help UK nationals who moved abroad take their pensions with them and, in certain circumstances, offered advantages that UK pensions did not. But much has changed since QROPS were first introduced in 2006. Over the […]
Forgotten Pensions: Why Expats Shouldn’t Overlook Them
For many British expatriates, pensions represent one of the largest parts of their wealth. Yet thousands of expats unknowingly leave retirement savings scattered across multiple schemes — some forgotten, some underperforming, others eroded by unnecessary fees. Since the UK’s auto-enrolment rules were introduced in 2012, millions of workers have been automatically enrolled in workplace pensions. […]
Will Your Finances Support the Retirement You Want? Ask These 5 Key Questions
As life expectancy continues to rise, retirement planning is no longer just about reaching a specific age—it’s about ensuring your wealth can sustain the lifestyle you want, for as long as you need it. Whether you’ve already retired or are approaching retirement abroad, careful planning around pensions, savings, investments and taxation can help protect your […]